Workers' Rights in China

By

Geoffrey Crothall From today's Wall Street Journal Asia

Updated May 1, 2008 12:01 a.m. ET

China's Labor Contract Law is one of the most controversial pieces of legislation enacted in China this decade. It provoked a storm of criticism from both the domestic and foreign business community, who now claim it has led to the demise of 10,000 factories in the Pearl River Delta alone since it went into effect on Jan. 1.

The factory closures, in reality, had more to do with rising material and transport costs and China's appreciating currency. However, because the law does give China's workers more rights, it means...